The present invention relates to the field of infusing gas into liquids, and more particularly, for infusing oxygen into water.
There are number of applications for infusing gas into liquids. For example, it is known that plants require water into order to receive nutrients into the plant. However, for the nutrients to be used by the plant, oxygen must also be present. It has been found that increasing the dissolved oxygen content of water used for irrigation can increase plant health as well as crop production yields. Additional applications for infusing gas into liquids can include, for example, aquaculture, distilled spirits production, and treatment of blood disorders.
Various techniques have been used to introduce gas into liquids, such as bubblers and aerators. In addition, porous membranes can be used at the gas-liquid interface to cause gas to be absorbed by, and removed from, liquids. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,279 discloses a gas transfer process using a hollow fiber membrane. More particularly, this patent discloses a process which comprises allowing a liquid to contact with the inside of a microporous hollow fiber and a fluid to contact with the outside, thereby allowing the gaseous components contained in both fluids to transfer between them.
In order to maximize the benefits of dissolving oxygen into the water used for plant irrigation, it is desired to maximize the amount of dissolved oxygen as well as the time that the oxygen remains dissolved in the water. It is also desired to produce water having increased levels of dissolved oxygen in a manner that is both time-effective and cost-effective. Therefore, what is needed are improved devices and methods for infusing gas into a liquid and, more particularly, for infusing oxygen into water.